


Lukewarm Waters

by tomanonuniverse



Series: Fair Game Week 2020 [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Don't copy to another site, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soul Bond, Soulmates, fair game, fairgameweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23211703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomanonuniverse/pseuds/tomanonuniverse
Summary: Fair Game Week 2020 Day Four: Birds/Soulmates“Oh, we’re playing that game then?” Qrow barked harshly, crossing his arms if only to prevent himself from shoving a finger in the other Huntsman’s face. “Alright, alright, that’s fair. It’s not like— Heh, it’s not like you’re everything I’m not or anything, right? We’re just gonna pretend that’s not a thing?”Clover’s nose scrunches up in confusion and Qrow hates himself for thinking of it as cute. “What are you talking about?” The Atlesian asks, sounding genuinely puzzled. “Is this about our semblances—?”“Of-fucking-course it’s about our semblances!”
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Fair Game Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665484
Comments: 5
Kudos: 83





	Lukewarm Waters

**Author's Note:**

> me after writing one (1) cute thing: god jesus heavens okay thats enough of that lets get some pain up in this bitch

The concept of soulmates, while intricate, was not as unfathomable as most of Remnant’s people made it seem. Yet, it was not as black-and-white as others would put it. There was no strict definition or set of rules out there for how exactly it worked, and as such, many people elected to interpret it their own way. 

One thing that was absolutely certain, though, was that every person that walked the face of the planet had  _ at least _ one soulmate. No one lacked a soulmate, it was downright  _ impossible. _ In fact, it was rare that a person had _ just one _ soulmate. Three was the average for everyone. 

Not all soulmates were romantic, and not all soulmates were “destined for one another,” so to speak. The most common misconception about the whole thing is that one’s soulmates are already determined for them the moment they pop out of the womb, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

A person’s  _ soul  _ chooses the soulmates, hence the concept’s name. Whether it be a person they built a strong relationship with over a long period of time or a stranger they found themselves trusting upon first meeting them, all kinds of people could be each other’s soulmates, from married couples to childhood friends. 

Soulmates are people someone feels they  _ belong  _ with; the nature of that belonging differs from one person to another. They weren’t people someone was  _ stuck  _ with. If two supposed soulmates did not get along, they could simply disregard the link their souls created. With time, the bond will fade. They were not permanent.

All that being said, Qrow Branwen isn't the slightest bit embarrassed to say that, after all his 40 years of being alive, he'd finally found the first person his soul took a liking to, and he was avoiding said person like his life depended on it. He's been doing it all day, despite the fact that he was forced to partner up with them for the earlier mission. Surely, he'll be fine, now that the worst of it is over. 

Of course, like most occasions in his life, he turned out to be wrong. 

“Hey,” he hears the other man say from behind him, “what are you doing up so late? We've still got a lot of work to do tomorrow you know, you should get some rest.”

Qrow grunts in frustration, loud enough for the Ace Operative to catch. The Huntsman was hoping that the lack of proper verbal response would make the other get a hint and go away. Still, the  ~~ annoyance  ~~ Atlesian presses on, walking up next to him. “Did you hear me?” He  ~~ annoyingly ~~ asked, hypocritically so, seeing as he was also pretending not to have heard Qrow. “You must be really tired if—”

Without sparing another second, Qrow quickly spins on his heel and stomps back into Atlas Academy, just trying his damndest to tell the Ace Operative to  _ fuck off  _ without actually having to do so. A gloved hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him in his place and nearly taking his whole arm off with how aggressively he was swinging it. 

A million indignated exclamations form on Qrow’s tongue, but they all die short when he turns around and their eyes finally meet. Clover Ebi only stares back at him with a pinched expression, brows worried and lips pressed in a flat line. The Branwen finds himself faltering underneath the desperate teal eyes, blinking in confusion.

“Are we not going to talk about it?” Clover finally dares to ask.

It seemed to be the wrong thing to say, however, as Qrow scowls and yanks his hand back to himself. “What’s there to talk about?” He shoots back with more venom than he’d intended to convey. “Soul connections happen all the time, they’re not  _ special,  _ and this is no different. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Out of all the things Qrow expects, hurt flashing across Clover’s face is not one of them. The man had practically physically flinched at the words, but he clenched his jaw and stood his ground regardless. “If that’s the case,” he began cautiously, “then why are you so wound up over it? If it matters so little to you, why are you so bothered by it?”

“Oh, we’re playing  _ that  _ game then?” Qrow barked harshly, crossing his arms if only to prevent himself from shoving a finger in the other Huntsman’s face. “Alright, alright, that’s  _ fair.  _ It’s not like—  _ Heh, _ it’s not like you’re everything I’m  _ not  _ or anything, right? We’re just gonna pretend that’s not a thing?”

Clover’s nose scrunches up in confusion and Qrow hates himself for thinking of it as  _ cute.  _ “What are you talking about?” The Atlesian asks, sounding genuinely puzzled. “Is this about our semblances—?”

_ “Of-fucking-course it’s about our semblances!”  _ Qrow snaps, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. “Honestly? It’s about our  _ everything.  _ You’re everything I’ve ever  _ dreamt of,  _ and you’re acting like you don’t even know it. Is this a joke to you? “Let’s mess with the bad-luck charm’s head?” ‘Cause it’s  _ not  _ fucking  _ funny.” _

“Woah, woah, slow down!” Clover interrupts in alarm, taking a step forward and holding his arms out to calm the other down. “Back up. What do you mean “I’m everything you’ve ever dreamt of?” I’m not making fun of you, I swear, I’m really lost here. Please talk to me.” 

Qrow’s sure his inner cheek is bleeding from how hard he’s biting down on it. He exhales through his nose and flexes his fingers, doing his best not to just walk away right this moment. If Clover wanted to play innocent, if he wanted to pretend like he was clueless about the whole thing, then he’ll play along. 

Once his shoulders aren’t hiked to his ears, Qrow finds his words again. “We’re polar opposites, Ebi,” he starts, voice far too raw with emotion for his liking. “You’re good luck. I’m bad luck. You’re the leader of Atlas’s elite Huntsmen group. I’m a washed-up sorry excuse of a licensed Beacon Academy graduate. You’re the person I’ve always wanted to be but never could, and never _will_ be. It’s only natural that my soul links to yours. You’re _everything_ I’ve always wanted.”

His throat stings and he wants to throw up because his eyes are watering and everything sucks. To top it off, Clover’s staring back at him with wide, almost horrified eyes. For a moment, they just stand there, letting the words sink in between them. Finally, Clover takes another step forward and speaks.

“If that’s what you think is the reason your soul chose mine,” he murmurs too comfortingly, “then why did  _ my  _ soul choose  _ yours?” _

At that, Qrow's mind blanks.

It was… an interesting thought. Qrow had just admitted himself that he doesn’t have anything that Clover might lack or be interested in having, so thinking about why the link was  _ reciprocated  _ was a different story. He wasn’t the manipulative type, at least Qrow didn’t think so. He didn’t seem like he’d just want to toy with him. 

Not with how hard he was trying to refrain from touching Qrow. His hands kept twitching and his eyes roamed his body like he  _ needed  _ to hold him. Showing incredible restraint, he only continues talking. “I’m not  _ better  _ than you, Qrow. Even if that’s how it feels at first, there’s more to it than that and you  _ know  _ it.”

Qrow  _ did  _ know it. From the second their eyes met back in Mantle, when he’d just been arrested by some hooligan with a horseshoe, he’d known there was something there. There’s no dramatic revelation like in romance books, no “the world exploded into color” or “he said the words etched onto my skin” in real life. It was simply a  _ feeling,  _ though “simply” would be a gross understatement. 

“Please give me a chance,” Clover says, snapping him out of his thoughts as he takes another step closer. “I’ve never had a soulmate before. I was beginning to think I never would. But I have now, and even though I don’t know what I’m doing, I'd like to try doing  _ something.” _

And because Qrow couldn’t hold his tongue if you held a gun to his head, he stammers like an idiot.  _ “You’ve  _ never had a soulmate before?”

Clover gives him a smile too sad to grace features that handsome. “There’s a lot we don’t know about each other,” he murmurs. Then, in a moment of bravery, Clover reaches for one of his hands. “But… if you’d like, we can start working on that. Together.”

Qrow stares down at their intertwined hands, completely speechless. He blinks, glancing from his hand to Clover’s face. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find a single hint or trace of deceit from the other.

So, he swallows and threads their fingers together. “...Yeah,” he finally manages, “I think I’d like that.”

Looking up at the other, Qrow finds nothing but a blinding beam on the Ace Operative’s face. “Thank you,” Clover whispers, and Qrow responds by cupping his face with his other hand and closing the gap between them.


End file.
